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Devi R. Thomas
Director, Shot@Life Campaign
Devi Ramachandran Thomas joined the UN Foundation in May 2011 as Director of Shot@Life, to manage the campaign and oversee the daily programmatic, communications, marketing, and fundraising needs of the campaign. Prior to joining the Foundation, Devi worked as a senior consultant in sustainability and cause marketing strategies. She also held the position of Director of Cause Branding at Cone, Inc, a leading cause communications agency where she specialized in corporate cause marketing campaigns and public-private partnerships. For over seven years, Devi has led strategic marketing, corporate social responsibility and shared value philanthropic campaigns, including work for clients such as Pfizer, ITT Corporation, Wal-Mart, and Western Union. She has worked on award-winning campaigns including ITT Watermark, ITT’s signature corporate citizenship program and Western Union’s Our World Our Family. She previously worked in marketing and communications at the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City where she helped build the Inner City 100 brand. Devi holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada and a Masters of International Relations from Boston University. She is a mother of a 1-year-old boy who receives his vaccinations right on schedule.
Blog Posts by Devi R. Thomas
Let’s get this party started
Shot@Life officially launched one year ago during World Immunization Week! This year, bloggers from across the country are joining in the celebration by sharing stories of Shot@Life Champions and the work they are doing to help children around the world get a shot at a healthy life...
April 24, 2013
Be part of something big
We want you to be a part of something big. Here is your chance...
April 24, 2013
It's our birthday. Let's celebrate together.
There is something magical about birthdays – turning a year older and celebrating the milestones of the past year and all the excitement to come in the next...
April 17, 2013
It’s Simple: Refer Friends. Save a Child’s Life Through Diapers.com
As a pregnant mom of a toddler, I am always looking for simple shopping solutions. Those first few years are full of so many firsts; you don’t want to miss a moment while you’re running errands – driving back and forth to the store buying diapers and other necessities for your little one...
April 16, 2013
Celebrating the Power of Women
Today, March 8, marks International Women’s Day. Recognized since the early 1900s we celebrate the achievements of incredible women from around the globe. Here at Shot@Life, I am often inspired by the actions of the strong women working tirelessly under every condition imaginable to provide children with access to global vaccines.
March 8, 2013
Make an impact today
The impact of a vaccine lasts a lifetime. A simple vaccine helps give a child a shot at taking their first steps, saying their first words, and dreaming of their future. Immunizations help save the lives of 2.5 million children from deadly preventable diseases each year. While these numbers are staggering, it is hard to understand how that impacts our everyday lives.
Today, Shot@Life is kicking off 28 Days of Impact...
February 1, 2013
Bill Gates Annual Letter: Applying Simple Business to Worldwide Problems
Bill Gates’ annual letter this year proves once again that he is determined to bettering the world around us.
January 31, 2013
The last reported case of polio in India – could have been me
When I look at pictures of three-and-a-half-year-old Rukhsar, the last reported case of wild polio in India, all I can think is that could have been me. With her round brown face and her direct gaze, she even looks like I did when I was a toddler. My Indian parents who migrated to North America never received their polio vaccine when they were infants. When my sister and I were born, they proudly took us to receive our vaccine against a disease they had seen so many suffer from...
January 13, 2013
Happy New Year from Shot@Life!
What a year! Since the official launch of the United Nations Foundation’s Shot@Life Campaign in April, we have trained hundreds of grassroots Champions, held dynamic events in more than five cities, garnered many new partnerships, launched our new mobile app to track childhood milestones, sent a remarkable delegation to Uganda to witness a Family Health Day, launched the first hugely successful Blogust relay saving over 10,000 lives, and all the while working toward making sure every child has access to life-saving vaccines...
January 5, 2013
That was just the beginning
I have some exciting news! Thanks to your generous support over the holidays, Shot@Life exceeded its goal by raising more than $27,000 for life-saving vaccines in developing countries. You helped protect over 1,300 children from four of the most deadly and disabling diseases...
January 4, 2013
Make your gift count
This holiday season, while you’re making your shopping list and planning gatherings with family and friends, take a minute to give an unforgettable gift to children around the world – a gift that will help give them a chance at a healthy life...
December 18, 2012
Polio still paralyzes children. You can help.
As the daughter of immigrants from India, I grew up regularly hearing about the horrors of polio – ravaging communities, paralyzing and crippling thousands of children. Earlier this year we celebrated a major milestone in India. A country that had half of the world’s polio cases in 2009 became free of the disease. In fact, there has not been a reported case of polio in India for almost two years thanks to life-saving vaccines. While this crippling disease has been eliminated in India, polio still wreaks havoc in some of the most difficult parts of the world...
October 22, 2012
Celebrating a 15 year milestone!
On the Shot@Life team, we are always celebrating milestones. Whether it’s a childhood milestone like getting to be a big sister, or helping to reach a global health milestone by eradicating polio by 99 percent, milestones are top of mind and a cause for celebration. Today, I am excited to share that the United Nations Foundation has reached an historic milestone.
October 16, 2012
Don’t let one more milestone pass you by
Sometimes, we’re just too busy and can't find the time to chronicle every significant moment of our child's development. But wouldn't it be great if there was a tool for busy parents to help make it easier to record and capture most of them?
October 1, 2012
Moments Matter
Let’s face it. Parenting takes a lot out of you. Sometimes by the end of the day, I barely have enough energy to give my two year old a bath let alone take a minute to fill out his baby book with milestones and memories. But, these moments matter and I know 10 years from now I’ll wish I could remember each and every one of them...
September 22, 2012
Kids say the darndest things
This is a season of change for our kids as they start many new things, first days of kindergarten, first trick-or-treats or first friendships at school. What hilarious, but often truthful, comments has your kid made recently? Tell us about the funniest things your kids have said recently. Then, spend a few minutes learning how you can get involved with the Shot@Life campaign to help parents around the world experience these same funny but truthful moments with their children...
September 18, 2012
Moms meet fashion. Fashion meets causes.
NY Fashion Week was transformed this week. There was still high fashion, a runway and even a stylist and a make-up team. But at Strut - The Fashionable Mom Show, there were also moms from all walks of life who do extraordinary things. My role in the fashion show was to showcase much more than evening wear – I was showcasing Shot@Life. In a room full of of mission-driven moms, I couldn’t think of a better place to spread the word about Shot@Life and the fact that we can help save a child’s life every 20 seconds by increasing access to global vaccines for children around the world.
September 12, 2012
Supermoms become supermodels
Tonight, I’m strutting down the runway at Strut The Fashionable Mom Show with moms on a mission during New York Fashion Week. But I’m showcasing more than evening wear. I’m showcasing Shot@Life. In a room full of powerful women with a mission to succeed, I couldn’t think of a better place to spread the word about Shot@Life and the fact that we can help save a child’s life every 20 seconds by increasing access to global vaccines for children around the world...
September 10, 2012
Your comments mattered
Thank you for helping Shot@Life close out summer with an amazing success story! This August, we brought together 31 of the most influential online voices in the country to help change the world through blogging. Blogust was a 31-day blog relay of powerful voices, of moms and dads who shared passionate stories of inspiration each day and then passed the baton to another blogger for the following day. Each comment initiated a $20 donation, up to a total of $200,000, to immunize up to 10,000 children...
September 6, 2012
To the Blogust family, from the bottom of our hearts
Blogust was an idea inspired by the amazing and talented Liz Gumbinner who wisely said that “Comments Are Currency” – this is a simple notion, but one that holds undeniable value. As we planned and invited you all to join our blog relay, we expected magic in words, what we did not expect was the EXPLOSION; the persistent and rhythmic beat that you played throughout the month and the complete giving of your online selves to help save children’s lives. Your posts and your stories have created a collective inspiration that is still buzzing online and offline. You are agents of change in a world where people may not believe in the power of a community of 31 to make a difference. Your watermark is truly indelible...
September 5, 2012
